System Error
by Lynn Jones
Summary: Eight years after Attenuation, everything seems to be going smoothly, and Ikebukuro has settled down with it's two most dangerous men not causing as much trouble. But something is about to happen. An old enemy will return, and with children to take care of, Arlua and her friends must find a way to survive the errors about to plague their new system. ShizuoxOC. IzayaxOC.
1. Prologue: Pre-Party Talk

**Welcome back, everyone! This is the third installment of Arlua's story, and takes place roughly eight years after the end of Attenuation. **

**So for this story I've decided everyone needs set birthdays. Arlua's is Feb. 28, Tania's is May 3, Supai's is March 7, Malcolm's was Dec. 6, Rimiko's is Oct. 8. **

**Disclaimer: I own only my OCs, just like in all my previous works.**

Shizuo sighed heavily.

"Ani, is this really necessary?" he asked. His wife frowned at him, and he hurriedly amended his statement. "I mean, a small family party is one thing…but will her classmates' parents really let them come to her party? You've told me yourself that she hardly has any friends." Tania allowed herself a grin, which had become more frequent in the years since their marriage, even as Shizuo's rampages had decreased. He still lost control when his wife and/or daughter weren't around, or when someone was treating them in a way that he didn't approve of, but with Arlua keeping Izaya on a short leash when the informant wasn't working, Shizuo's outbursts had faded to a handful every month, instead of a daily occurrence. Still, the parents of the children in his daughter's class would doubtless remember how life in Ikebukuro had been just eight years ago.

"That's why Arlua is officially hosting the party, Zuo," Tania replied patiently. "To encourage the parents to put aside past fears." The strongest man in Ikebukuro sighed.

"Yes, but…"

"Well, you do always dress as a bartender," she pointed out.

"But…"

"I'll be right there with you, my love," she assured him. "I won't let you throw any of her friends' parents."

"But why do I have to mix drinks for them, and why does Arlua had a home bar?" the blond man demanded. Tania hid a smile and patted his arm.

"Because it's a good way to get the parents to meet you and maybe allow their children to hang out with our daughter," she reminded him. "I explained this when you agreed to it." He sighed again.

"I know…but why does she have a home bar?" he repeated his second question, knowing that his wife wouldn't relent on his role in the event scheduled to take place that afternoon. She shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe she and the flea had it put in just to give me the idea of asking you to mix drinks," Tania answered dismissively. "Anyway, it'll all be non-alcoholic, since it's a kids' party."

Shizuo shook his head.

"The flea would do it, too," he sighed. He was prevented from saying anything else by the arrival of the guest of honor for the day's festivities. Rimiko Heiwajima, who had just turned seven years old, dashed into the kitchen and launched herself at her father. Her long, pale brown hair, which had bordered on blond when she was younger, streamed out behind her as she ran and jumped. Her father grinned and caught her, lifting her up and spinning her around as she laughed, delighted with his attention and the ease with which he lifted her. Her caramel eyes danced as she beamed down at him.

"Morning Daddy!" she giggled. He beamed back and brought her down to cuddle her against his chest.

"Good morning, Rimi-chan," he replied cheerfully. "Ready for your party?" Tania smiled softly at the pair as Rimiko nodded vigorously.

"I wanna see Auntie Lu!" she exclaimed. "And Uncle Kas and Uncle Sup, and my friends!" Then her smile faded and she made a face. "Daddy, will Flea be there?" she asked. Her father glanced at his wife.

"Probably, if only to keep an eye on Arlua," Tania answered. "But don't worry, sweetie. He won't bother you or your father. Or anyone else unless he wants to face Arlua's wrath," she added thoughtfully. Rimiko grinned.

"Will Auntie Lu smack Flea again?" the little girl inquired eagerly. One of her earliest memories was Arlua babysitting her while her parents worked, and Izaya making some comment about her that she hadn't understood at the time, only for Arlua to swat him upside the head. Since then, Rimiko was always eager to see the man she resolutely called Flea – or Maggot, when her 'Uncle Sup' (Supai Orihara) was around – whacked by the woman he loved.


	2. Grumbling and the Guest of Honor

**Disclaimer: fortunately for me, RImiko is one of my OCs, so all of her adorableness is mine! However, her father and the other DRRR! characters do not belong to me.**

"Lu-chan, remind me why the protozoans and their offspring are having a party _here_," Izaya grumbled. Arlua, who had been resolutely ignoring his complaints all day, continued to ignore him and simply continued tidying the apartment that served as Izaya's central Ikebukuro bolt hole. For a part-time home that was kept fairly clean, there were a lot of weapons to hide and traps to disarm. She didn't want a random parent to accidentally find, say…Izaya's extra switchblades, which he kept conealed in various locations around the apartment, just in case. She had also been setting up the temporary home bar that Izaya had allowed her to set up for Shizuo's use during the birthday party.

Deciding that he had been ignored long enough, the information broker crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest and lowering his head to rest his chin on her shoulder. She paused and leaned against him, smiling slightly.

"Lu-chaaaaaan," he complained, his tone bordering on whining simply because he had learned that sometimes that tone was enough to irritate her into listening to him.

This was not one of those times, apparently, as she merely whined back, "Izzyyyyyy." He huffed and let go of her. She laughed lightly and turned to face him. "Don't worry. Once this party is over, you'll have my full attention," she assured him. He frowned.

"Attention deficiency is not the issue here, Lu-chan. Mister and Misses Monster and their brat of a daughter coming here to have the brat's birthday party is the issue here," he informed her. Completely unaffected by his disapproval, Arlua rolled her eyes.

"First of all, you know as well as I do that when Tania and Shizuo aren't around, you and Rimi-chan get along just fine, so you can quit calling her 'brat' all the time," she told him.

"But she still calls me Flea all the time, so why shouldn't I keep calling her a brat?" he protested. Arlua gave him a stern look and he sighed but didn't say anything else.

"Because you're supposed to be slightly more mature than a seven-year-old, Izzy. Second of all, I told you that you didn't have to allow them to have the party here, and even if you did, I would handle everything and you didn't have to attend. You've chosen to attend, so no complaining," she continued, going into lecture mode. Izaya hid a smirk. Engrossed in lecturing him, she didn't notice soon enough as he shifted position. Arlua yelped as the informant scooped her up and dumped her unceremoniously – albeit gently, so as not to hurt her – on the couch. "Hey!"

"Why hello, Lu-chan. Are you done lecturing me now, especially since you know perfectly well that I'm attending the party to make sure no unwanted quests slip in with the crowd?" he inquired cheerfully, grinning. She had learned to anticipate his attempts to do things like this, so it was rare that he managed to catch her unaware. She scowled at him for a moment, then relented.

"I know. Just remember that once people start showing up with their kids, you and Shi aren't allowed to fight, and you have to keep all the weapons hidden," she ordered. "And you have to be nice to Rimi-chan since it's her birthday," she added firmly.

"Technically it's her birthday _party_, not her actual birthday…"

"Izzy." She stood from where he had dropped her onto the couch and stretched up to kiss him for a long moment, tangling her fingers in the raven hair and pressing her body against his as his hands came to rest on her hips. When she pulled away, she murmured, "Behave. If you do, you'll get a reward." She saw interest spark in his eyes, which her jumping from her eyes to her lips and back again.

"What kind of reward?~" he inquired. She arched an eyebrow and nuzzled his neck.

"If you're really good, maybe I'll let you choose your reward," she answered, murmuring the words against his skin. Izaya suppressed a shiver and chuckled.

"That sounds promising," he decided. "I'll behave, Lu-chan." She grinned.

"I thought you'd come to that decision," she replied. Just then, the doorbell to the apartment rang, and she started to pull away. Izaya pulled her back for a minute to kiss her thoroughly, then released her once she was out of breath. Rolling her eyes and grinning at his antics, she went to answer the door.

"Auntie Lu!" Rimiko squealed happily as she bounced into the room, her hair in a braided ponytail and her eyes shining with excitement. Her pale yellow dress swirled around her knees, matching the ribbons in her hair. Arlua beamed and scooped up the girl – who was almost too tall for her 'aunt' to pick up after her last growth spurt – and hugged her tightly.

"Hi there, Rimi-chan," Arlua grinned. "You look adorable!" As Rimiko preened, enjoying her Arlua's praise, Tania and Shizuo stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind themselves.

"What, no greetings for old friends?" Shizuo asked, completely ignoring his enemy, who was standing halfway across the room, watching. Arlua stuck her tongue out at Shizuo, a gesture that Rimiko cheerfully mimicked, drawing resigned sighs from her parents. Arlua, while still good friends with both of them, had gained a childish side in the years she had been dating Izaya and babysitting Rimiko whenever her parents were both at work.

Before Rimiko was born, Arlua had taken over FanaTECH in Yamakawa's (who they now knew was really Akuro Nakao) absence. Now the company had grown, and she had employees spread throughout half of Tokyo. The technician had taken more of a management roll, keeping her involvement to complex hacks, viruses, and repairs. This left her with more time to spend with her boyfriend, her friends, and her sort-of niece.

"Sorry, Shi. Your bartender outfit is as dashing as ever, and Tania's dress is very nice, but Rimi-chan's is new, and it must be praised properly," she informed him. RImiko giggled, then tapped Arlua's arm. "Yes, Rimi-chan?"

"Will you hit Flea?" she asked, tone hopeful. Arlua pretended to eye Izaya thoughtfully. The informant frowned and mouthed the word 'brat' at her.

"If he misbehaves," she agreed after a moment. Rimiko beamed delightedly, and Shizuo shook his head and Tania sighed.

"Why did we agree to let you host the party, again?" the teacher muttered.


	3. Party Time

**Disclaimer: Rimi-chan is mine. My other OCs are mine too, but Rimiko seems to be the one everyone cares about at the moment. DRRR! and it's characters aren't mine though.**

The apartment had been overrun with six and seven year old children and their parents. The adults were clustered around the home bar, watching Shizuo mix drinks. They had been wary until Arlua came up with a way to convince them that Shizuo would not explode on them if they talked to him.

This way consisted of Rimiko.

Many of the parents had only seen the guest of honor while dropping their own children off at school. So when the little girl – at Arlua's urging – scampered around the bar to her father and demanded to be picked up, the adults who were watching with a kind of wary interest were stunned with the terrifying blond merely chuckled and scooped up his daughter.

As Shizuo hugged her, Rimiko gave the nearest parent a smile that was altogether too sweet to be innocent and recited what Arlua had told her to say.

"Daddy says you should be nice to people, even if they don't like you or are scared of you," the little girl announced. "And Auntie Lu says that everyone should be extra nice since it's a birthday party, and that Daddy isn't even the scariest one here; he is." She pointed to the person she was labeling as 'the scariest'. When the parents – all of them, not just the one she had singled out – followed the gesture and saw Arlua watching them serenely, with Izaya's arms wrapped around her waist and his chin resting on the top of her head, flanked by Tania and Supai, they took note of the fact that Shizuo was probably the most friendly of the adults present to watch over the party, and became rather interested in making small talk with the bodyguard.

The next time Rimiko darted past Arlua, the technician passed her a flash drive. The little girl beamed, knowing what was on it: her next puzzle from her aunt, who always gave her the most fun puzzles.

A moment later, though, it wasn't Rimiko but one of the girl's classmates who caught Arlua's attention. Nudging Izaya and nodding to direct his attention to the girl, the technician murmured, "When I greeted her earlier, she had a nice, soft voice. She ran past with Rimi-chan and I swear she sounded exactly like Shi." Izaya blinked, then tilted his head, studying the girl.

She had black hair that fell past her shoulders and bright red eyes that seemed like they couldn't possibly be her natural color.

"Where are her parents?" Izaya asked softly. Arlua shrugged.

"She said they had somewhere to be and just dropped her off."

"At a party where the chaperones include the maggot and the strongest man in the city? That's some great parenting right there," Supai commented, having eavesdropped on their conversation. Arlua rolled her eyes.

"Speaking of great parenting, where's your wife?" she asked. Supai grinned.

"Rio said she would not be attending a party in an apartment owned by the maggot," he answered. "But she sent her love to Rimi-chan and the others." Rio Orihara, formerly Rio Kamichika, had attended Raira Academy with Supai and Malcolm, although she and Supai hadn't had much contact until after Malcolm's death, when Supai had started looking for people who shared his opinion of his cousin.

When he found the quiet, pretty, and unknowingly-once-the-target-of-Izaya's-social-experiment girl, he had fallen for the reserved manner and the hidden liquid emotion in her warm brown eyes. They had dated through their final year of high school and through Supai's college years, then married the year Rimiko turned four. After finding out the truth of what had happened to her before she met Supai, Rio had developed an intense dislike of her husband's cousin.

"Anyway, that girl's weird. I thought I hear Rimi-chan calling my name earlier, but I turned around and that girl was watching me," the younger informant told them.

"Her name is Kami," Arlua murmured. "She must be one of Rimi-chan's classmates, but I don't remember seeing her before when I picked her up from school."

"Maybe she was always the first kid picked up?" Izaya suggested, his tone telling his girlfriend that he didn't think that was the case. He knew just as well as his cousin did that Arlua always made sure to pick Rimiko up immediately when she was watching the girl for Tania and Shizuo.

"Someone who gets there before Arlua and manages to slip past her every time without being noticed?" Supai snorted. "That's about as likely as a second Dullahan showing up – technically possible, but so improbable that it's irrelevant."

"Lu-chan, perhaps we should talk to this girl," Izaya suggested.

"Not you," the technician replied immediately. "If she's not in Rimi-chan's class, she must be here for a reason, and you aren't exactly the most subtle person to send. The parents in the room would ask questions." Her boyfriend made a face at her, and she simply smirked. "You know I'm right."

"Yes, yes, I know. I'll be watching," he added. "I'll ask dear Ani-chan if she knows anything about the girl." Arlua nodded, then made her way over to the red-eyed girl, who was standing off to the side, observing her "classmates" as they began a game of tag, racing around the apartment and weaving between their parents' legs.

"Hello," she greeted her. "Kami-chan, right? Are you having fun?"

"It's a party, ne?~ Of course I'm having fun, Lu-chan," she girl replied in Izaya's voice. Arlua blinked, then covered her astonishment as quickly as she could.

"That's wonderful. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying yourself. I wasn't sure if you knew anyone here, since I don't think you're in Rimi-chan's class," the technician explained sympathetically. The girl nodded solemnly.

"I know lots of people here," she said softly in the voice Arlua had first heard from her – the voice she assumed truly belonged to the girl. "But none of them know me."

"Who are you?" the woman inquired. "You never told me your full name." The girl smiled.

"You're nice, Teki-sama," she said in Supai's voice. Then she returned to her own voice. "My name is Kami Megu. I'm not supposed to tell you this, but you should be more careful. Eight years isn't as long as you think."


	4. Afterwards

**Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed! I love hearing from my readers! **

**Disclaimer: My OCs are mine and the DRRR! characters are not. Kami technically isn't mine; she belongs to Shan-kun, who leant her to me for this story. **

"Eight years?" Arlua repeated. The red-eyed girl nodded, then turned toward the door, where a strange man with dark brown hair and red-brown eyes was waiting.

"I have to go now," she said quietly.

"Wait, I-" Arlua broke off as the girl darted toward the door. Movement in the corner of her eyes made her turn. Izaya had stepped forward to intercept the girl and possibly talk to the man. Arlua hesitated, then gestured to him to let her go. The informant frowned, but did as she asked. A moment later, Kami was gone.

Arlua didn't have time to discuss the girl with her boyfriend until after the party, when Supai, Rimiko, her parents, and all the guests were gone.

"Kami Megu?" he murmured. "I know that name. The Megu family is well known for its skill in deception. Disguises, misdirection, spying…where the Nakaos are pioneers with poisons, the Megus are chameleons. That was probably another member of her family who came to fetch her."

"Lovely. So they all mimic voices?" the technician asked. Izaya shook his head.

"No. There are supposed to be multiple talents. I'd have to ask my disreputable cousin what their present talents are; they're based in his half of Ikebukuro," he explained sourly. Two years before, Supai had managed to solidify control of half of the city – mainly because he lived there and it was the farthest section from where Izaya lived in Shinjuku.

"I'll get more details from Supai and then have my employees in that area keep an ear to the ground," she decided. Izaya chuckled. Supai may technically control that part of the city, but Arlua's FanaTECH technicians were allowed in and out freely, and they told her whatever they heard, which she reported to her boyfriend, which meant that if Izaya wanted to, he could destroy Supai's grip at any time. But the older informant was content to let his cousin be the authority on information there. It meant that people wouldn't look to Izaya if circumstances indicated an informant was messing with people there. And that amused the older Orihara.

"All right. In the meantime, I'll look through my files and see if I can find any connections to the Megus from…what did she say? Eight years ago?"

"That's right. She said 'eight years isn't as long as you think,'" Arlua sighed. "But the only thing that stands out about eight years ago is meeting you and then Natsuki going crazy." Izaya nodded.

"No use worrying about it now," he grimaced. "Since my files are in Shinjuku and you gave your employees the day off." Arlua scowled.

"I know. But I can't get it out of my mind," she grumbled. Izaya moved closer to her and reached up to brush a bit of hair away from her eyes.

"Maybe I should give you something else to occupy your mind then, Lu-chan,~" he purred, sealing his lips to hers.

Rimiko skipped happily on her way home, her parents on either side of her.

"Hey, Rimi-chan," Shizuo began. His daughter looked up at him, expression expectant.

"Yes, daddy?" she replied.

"What was all that about, telling your friends' parents that I wasn't the scariest one there?" he asked. Rimiko tilted her head, frowning.

"What do you mean? It's the truth. You're not scary at all. But Flea is scary sometimes, when Uncle Sup is being mean to him," she explained. Shizuo blinked. He was continually surprised with how completely unafraid the little girl was of him.

"Rimi-chan…" before he could decide what to say – should he ask about what that damn flea had done that made her think he was scary? Or should he ask how Supai managed to be mean to the older informant? – Tania tensed and glanced around, and Shizuo fell silent, watching her.

"You know, Mrs. Monster, its rude to reach for your gun before you even know who's wanting to talk to you," Izaya's voice chastened. Tania scowled.

"What do you want, flea?" she demanded. "Shouldn't you be with Arlua?"

"She insisted I come warn you. Something from eight years ago may be about to become relevant again," the information broker's voice sighed. "If it does, your precious little home life with that protozoan might shatter around you. Wouldn't that be awful?" Shizuo scowled.

"You damn flea! Tell us what you mean!" he growled.

"But your protozoan brain wouldn't be able to comprehend it," came the response. "Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Monster. Good night, Brat."

For a long moment, the three stood there, tense. Finally, Tania sighed.

"I think he's gone," she murmured.

"Can't tell. The whole city smells like shit with him in that apartment," Shizuo grumbled, forgetting in his agitation and the suppressed irritations of the party that Rimiko was right there and listening intently.

"Daddy, what do 'damn' and 'shit' mean?" she asked innocently. Tania glared at her husband, who winced.

"Those aren't nice words, sweetie. Forget you heard them," he said quickly. Rimiko tilted her head.

"Is that why you called Flea 'damn'? Because it's not a nice word, and you don't like him?" she questioned. Shizuo grimaced.

"Rimi-chan, don't say those words, please," he father pleaded.

"But you said them," she protested.

"I shouldn't have. I'm sorry," he added, glancing at Tania, who was eying him icily. He got the feeling he would be in trouble once Rimiko was home in bed. Rimiko considered this.

"But-"

"Rimiko," Tania broke in sternly. The girl sighed.

"Okay, mommy. I won't say the words," she muttered. Tania and Shizuo breathed sighed of relief, although Tania's expression still seemed – to Shizuo at least – to promise a long, long lecture about controlling his tongue.


	5. Among the Chameleons

**To the beautiful Guest who left me such wonderful reviews, thank you so much! I'm so happy you enjoyed my stories so much!**

**To everyone who hasn't reviewed: I want to hear from you!**

**Disclaimer: Introducing MORE OCs this chapter, but I still don't own the canon characters, and Kami still belongs to Shan-kun. Andris does too, by the way.**

Anna Kazu sighed when her phone went off. She eyed the unopened text message warily. She had already received her task list for the week, and she knew that the only other reasons her boss would text her were to warn her or to request information.

'Do you know anything about the Megu family? They're in your service area.' Anna tilted her head and hummed thoughtfully.

_Megu…Megu…oh, the owners of that apartment building complex. But they call themselves a different name when they're there. What was the place called? Kamereon Court?_ She continued humming as she walked down the street. She was between clients, so she could take a moment and compile her knowledge. She hummed as she typed to help herself remember.

'The Megus own an apartment complex. We have a contract with them for Kamereon Court, and they use the alias Masaku. They have a disproportionate number of machines registered to the complex, now that I think about it. Most of them should be separate because they're supposedly tenant machines. But every tenant machine there is listed on our contract in addition to the administrative machines,' Anna typed.

'Excellent. Would you mind running a check? We can't do a remote access without permission, but if you go in person and request to do a walkthrough, you might find something,' her boss replied. Anna grimaced.

'I'm supposed to go to that school this afternoon,' she protested.

'Skip it. I'll send Yakusi to the school instead; his schedule has been light this week. You go to the Kamereon Court and look around.' Anna frowned. She disliked leaving her obligations, even at the request of her boss.

'Yakusi will make a mess of the school,' Anna pointed out.

'I'll figure it out,' her boss insisted. Anna shook her head.

'What am I looking for anyway?'

'Signs that the Megus are up to something. A little girl with red-brown eyes and black hair. Any other anomalies.' Anna let out a frustrated huff.

_Could you possibly get any vaguer?_ she wondered.

'I'll let you know if I find anything weird,' she assured her boss.

'Be careful,' was her reply.

Which didn't make her feel any better about this abrupt assignment change.

The Kamereon Court apartments were clean, well-kept, and attractive, unlike many apartments in Ikebukuro.

_The boss and her boyfriend are the only ones I know who could afford nice apartments like these, though,_ Anna sighed.

"Miss Kazu! What are you doing here?" Anna smiled at the eight-and-a-half-year-old boy who always seemed to be around.

"Hello, Masaku-kun," she greeted him. "Skipping school again?" The boy's red-gray eyes were serious above his half-smiling mouth.

"No, Miss Kazu," he replied. "Are you here to check the computers?" Anna nodded. She was glad she had been greeted by the boy; he would assume his parents had arranged for her to come, and anyone else would assume that there was some urgent need that hadn't required the clearance of the complex's owners. It wasn't unusual for the boy – his name was Andris, but no one ever called him that simply because he always acted so serious and grown up; calling him by his family name as though he were an adult acquaintance seemed natural despite his lack of height – to greet her, though; the Masaku children – there was another one, a girl she had never met that the boy talked about occasionally – didn't go to school. She didn't know why, but she knew that it was better not to ask.

"Masaku-kun," she began as she headed toward the first building, the boy trotting along beside her. There actually wasn't much of a height distance because Anna was so short, not even five feet tall.

"Yes, Miss Kazu?"

"What does your sister look like? Her name is Kami, right?"

"She has black hair like me, and reddish-brown eyes," he answered. "But she's usually with Father. He tutors her," he explained. Anna nodded her understanding as though she hadn't heard this explanation multiple times before. But now, in search of anomalies, she risked another question.

"What does he tutor her in?" she asked. Andris glanced at her warily, and she wondered if he would report her sudden curiosity to his parents. Maybe not. But she remembered the only time she had met Andris's father in person. The man had a menacing aura around him when she asked questions. So she usually refrained from asking anything that didn't pertain to her job.

"Whatever she's good at," the boy replied after a moment. "He used to tutor me when I was small, too." Anna sighed. Not a clear answer, but it seemed that his sister might be the girl her boss had mentioned.

"Thank you," she murmured. "Now, who's not home? I don't want to disturb people by checking their computers while they're home."

"I'll show you," he said calmly, as though he were an adult and it was his job to escort visitors around the apartment complex. Anna nodded; she had expected nothing else, since he had followed her around on nearly every visit she had made to Kamereon Court.

She was on the last of the computers in that building when she found something odd. A flash drive had been left in the computer, and when she checked the name in the desktop window, it was labeled with a name she hadn't expected to see in a Masaku – or, rather, Megu – area. After all, as far as she knew, the Megus had no real reason to go by Masaku, but they were careful about it. They never left anything with their true name where unexpected visitors might find it. The only reason Anna knew who they were was, on her first visit, when Andris's father had been there, glaring at her whenever she asked a non-job-related-question, he had answered a phone call and the other person had started off calling him 'Megu'.

So when she saw that the name of the flash drive was Megu_Nak, she immediately activated one of the latent programs on every computer she serviced. Minutes later, the contents of that flash drive had been accessed and copied untraceably to the servers that held FanaTECH's customer files.

Her boss would be interested to see this, if her sudden changes of plan were any indication of how much she wanted to find out things about the Megu family.

She checked a few more computers in the second building before she left, just to cover her tracks.

She thanked Andris, then left.

'Hey, boss, I sent you a file,' Anna texted.

She got a reply saying that her phone had been corrupted and was no longer able to send messages. She tried again and got the same response.

Her boss wouldn't know she was trying to text her, because Anna's phone had been corrupted.

Anna stared at the device.

_What the hell is going on?_ Then she remembered.

One of Anna's fellow employees had come up with a program that would alert the phone's owner when the phone had been hacked. Someone had gotten into her phone while she was inside the apartment complex.


	6. Unexpected Connection

**Disclaimer: I still own only my OCs, though their number seems to grow each chapter.**

Anna bit her lip. Her phone had been hacked. She needed to make sure her boss knew what she had found, both on the flash drive and about Andris's sister, but she couldn't risk using her phone. She had shut it down immediately and didn't want to turn it back on until she was in a controlled environment and could figure out how to fix it.

"Hey. You okay?" an unfamiliar voice asked. Anna blinked and looked up. The man who had addressed her had a kind, concerned look in his brown eyes, though she thought for a moment that his expression seemed at odds with his baggy clothing. Then she took in his relaxed posture and decided that maybe he was just a casual person. Anna. Hesitated for a moment, then made a decision.

"Do you have a cell phone I could borrow? Mine isn't working right," she told him. The man smiled.

"Of course," he answered, pulling out his phone and handing it to her. She took it carefully and bowed.

"Thank you," she murmured as she dialed her boss's number. To her surprise, the phone recognized the number she had typed in. Anna stared at the screen for a moment, then blinked up at the man. "You know Miss Teki?" The man nodded, surprise showing on his face.

"Yeah. Arlua's a friend of mine. That's who you needed to call?"

"Yeah. She's my boss," Anna replied, lifting the phone to her ear.

"Kyohei? What's up?" her boss's voice answered.

"Miss Teki? It's Anna," she replied. "I sent a file to the client server, and I found out about that girl. Kami Megu fits the description you gave me. I can give you a little more information in person."

"That's her. Kami Megu. What kind of file?" Arlua demanded, skipping from one topic to the next the way she often did.

"I don't know. I'm always watched there, so I couldn't open it. But it looked important," Anna said. Arlua was quiet for a moment before yet another topic occurred to her.

"Why are you using Kyohei's phone?"

"This random guy asked if I needed help, and let me borrow his phone, and it turns out you know him," Anna answered with a sigh. "You weren't having him follow me or anything weird like that were you?" She saw the man blink and had her answer even before Arlua spoke.

"Of course not. Kyohei's just the kind of guy who likes helping people. Actually, can I talk to him for a minute?"

"Sure." Anna held the phone out to its owner. "She wants to talk to you." The man tilted his head curiously as her took the device.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Kyohei, would you do me a favor? My employee needs a ride. Can you bring her to the bolt hole and drop her off? I'm worried that if the client gets wind of the fact that she wasn't on a requested job, they might become unpleasant," Arlua explained. Her friend sighed.

"You mean you had her collecting information and now there might be danger," he muttered. "Yeah, I'll do it. But I don't have the van with me so we'll have to walk."

"That's fine. Kazu's more durable than she looks," came the reply. Arlua refused to address his first comment over the phone. "Thank you, Kyohei."

"Don't mention it," he answered. "Will you be there when we arrive?"

"Of course. I need to debrief her in person. See you soon, Kyohei. Let me talk to her again for a minute." The man passed the phone back to Anna. "Kazu. The man who's phone you're borrowing if Kyohei Kadota. He's a good guy, and he'll bring you to me. Be careful, make sure you're not followed."

"Yes, Miss Teki," Anna replied dutifully.

"Excellent. I'll be seeing you shortly, Kazu." Then her boss hung up, leaving Anna to hand the device back to its owner.

"Thank you. I'm Anna Kazu, by the way," she introduced herself. Kadota blinked as he really looked at her for the first time. She had strawberry blond hair –he wondered briefly if it was dyed- that fell just past her shoulders. She was very short, he noticed. Her head was even with the middle of his chest, and she was looking up at him with sharp amber eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Kazu," he replied. "I'm Kyohei Kadota."

"I know. Miss Teki told me. She said you would take me to where she is?" He nodded.

"I'll escort you to the bolt hole," he confirmed. The little woman gave him a bright, childish grin.

"Great! Please take care of me!" she said, bowing. Then she grinned up at him. Kadota blinked again. Her manner had suddenly changed from nervous and businesslike to light and cheerful. But not Izaya's brand of cunning cheerfulness, he noted as they started to walk. Her happiness seemed genuine, even carefree. She trotted along beside him, his longer strides meaning that she had to move at a faster pace just to keep up. Noticing this, he took care to shorten his strides. Arlua had said that Anna was more durable than she looked, but he didn't want her to have to run all the way across Ikebukuro to the bolt hole.

The man who had collected Kami from Rimiko's birthday party stalked into his office, scowling. His son waited for him there.

"You're sure she found the information? The flash drive wasn't touched," he snarled. His son shook his head.

"I told you, I don't think that she noticed it. If she had, she would have copied it to a flash drive of her own, or at least tried to open it," the boy replied. His father's scowl deepened.

"If you are lying to me, Andris…"

"Never, Father," the boy assured him. He hesitated, then added, "Where is Kami?"

"She is none of your concern," the man replied. He didn't tell the boy that the little girl would be gone for quite a while, on a mission with another member of their family. "Return to the entrance. No more visitors today. And send the fool who left his information in plain view to me. It is time we reminded our clan why it is best to remember how to keep secrets."


	7. Disappearance

**Sorry, this chapter is a little short, and that's because I'm mean and like cliffhangers.**

**Meanwhile, though, have another nearly-pointless disclaimer:**

**I own only my OCs.**

Arlua sat back and folded her hands, contemplating everything Anna had just told her. Kadota had dropped the technician off fifteen minutes before, and Anna had told her boss everything she knew about the Megus. Then the two had gone through the contents of the flash drive Anna had found by accessing the copied file on the company server.

They had found each file locked by a password.

"Crap," Arlua muttered. "I really thought we could get somewhere with this. I guess we'll have to set up the password-cracker." Her phone rang. "Can you do that? It's Shizuo, so I should take this," she added, glancing at her phone screen.

"Of course," Anna agreed.

Shizuo paused on his way to the elementary school and frowned, tilting his head. He could've sworn he heard Rimiko's voice…but she should still be in school.

"What the hell?" He followed the sound, wondering why on earth he could hear her two blocks from her school.

Rimiko sat on a chair just inside the entrance to her school, waiting for her father to pick her up. He was off work that day, so she wasn't going to Supai's or Arlua's for once. The little girl swung her feet absently as she waited.

"Hey, Rimi-chan." She looked up, beaming, when she heard her father's voice. The tall blond man before her wore her father's clothes and moved like her father. There was an odd shape to his nose, though, that made her hesitate. "Ready to go home?" he asked. Rimiko grinned and nodded, figuring that she was just tired from her day at school. He held his arms open expectantly, and she hopped off her chair and ran the short distance toward him. He grinned and caught her as she launched herself at him, though he took a step back to keep his balance, seemingly unprepared for the force of her leap. That seemed odd; her father was much stronger than her, and he was always able to catch her without having to compensate for her strength.

"Daddy? Are you okay?" she asked, frowning worriedly. He settled her in his arms and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm fine, Rimi-chan," he answered, reaching up to stroke her hair. She tilted her head; close up, she could see that his nose _was_ different than usual.

"Daddy…what's wrong with-"

She never finished her question, because then hand that was gently stroking her hair shifted suddenly, fingers stiffening just before they hit the point where her neck joined her skull, and she fell silent as her eyes rolled back in her head. Rimiko collapsed against the man holding her, who carefully shifted his hold on her so he appeared to be a loving father carrying his exhausted daughter home from school.

The secretary glanced up as the two left and saw a tall blonde who was _obviously_ Shizuo Heiwajima carrying his daughter. If the secretary thought it was odd that Rimiko was asleep, well, maybe the girl's day had been especially exhausting.

So the secretary was stunned when, ten minutes later, Shizuo Heiwajima reentered the building. She glanced at the place Rimiko had been sitting and noticed the girl's backpack leaning against the chair.

"Did you forget her backpack, Mister Heiwajima?" the secretary asked. The man blinked, his brown eyes showing confusion and irritation.

"What? I came to pick up Rimi-chan. Is she waiting in her classroom today?" he asked. The secretary frowned.

"No, she was right here, like always. You came and picked her up barely ten minutes ago, Mister Heiwajima, though it seems you forgot to grab her backpack on the way out."

Shizuo scowled.

"That's impossible," he growled. But then he remembered hearing her voice and following it for a good five minutes before the sound stopped, and he had decided to just go to the school. "Something's wrong…"

"Mister Heiwajima?" the secretary questioned. The bodyguard ignored her, pulling out his phone and dialing Arlua's number.

"Shi?" Arlua answered. "What is it?"

"You didn't forget that it's my day to pick up Rimiko did you?" he asked. He could hear the confusion in her voice.

"No. Of course not," she answered. There was a pause, then, "Shi, did something happen?"

"Rimiko's gone. The secretary said I already picked her up. Her backpack is here but she's not," Shizuo explained quickly, fear evident in his voice. "I hoped maybe the secretary was wrong and you or Supai had picked her up."

"No, Supai had a client today, and I've been investigating something with Izzy. Everyone knew it was your day to pick her up. Tania even called the school to let them know," Arlua assured him. "Maybe she went to the bathroom?" She could hear muffled voices in the background as Shizuo talked to the secretary again.

"No…she says she definitely remembers Rimiko being carried out by me. She said the only thing odd was forgetting the backpack and the fact that Rimiko fell asleep," he said shortly. "Arlua…if she was asleep…and I know I didn't pick her up…then…"

Arlua closed her eyes, fingers gripping the phone tightly.

"Shizuo…you don't think…"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do, Arlua," he growled, fear mixing with anger.

"Lu-chan?" Izaya's voice came through loud and clear as he approached her. "What's the matter?"

"Izzy…I think someone took Rimiko," she whispered. "We have to find her."


	8. Little Girl vs Adult Man

**Now we have Rimiko's kidnapping part two!**

**Disclaimer: My OCs are still mine, Kami and Andris still belong to Shan-kun, and the DRRR! canon characters are not mine.**

"Someone took the brat?" Izaya echoed. "They won't last a day."

"We have to find her first," Arlua pointed out.

"That might be easier than it sounds," Anna piped up. "Look." She pointed to the computer screen, which showed the list of locked files from the flash drive she had found at Kamereon Court. The fifth file name was heiwajima. . "Heiwajima, second generation?" the short woman guessed.

"We can't just send Shi and Ani," Arlua murmured. "They'll shoot half the people there and destroy all the buildings looking for her."

"Sounds like a job for someone who's extracted captives before," the information broker replied.

"Such as…?"

"Has Dota-chin left yet?"

Rimiko blinked and frowned. She was in a strange place…it wasn't her home, and it wasn't one of the apartments she went to when she visited her aunt or uncles. It wasn't the home of that weird doctor either.

"You're awake!" Her mother's voice washed over her, and Rimiko relaxed immediately, looking around for the source of the voice. If her mom was there, then everything was okay. Instead, a girl with black hair and red-brown eyes stood in the doorway. Rimiko froze. She knew this girl; they had played together at Rimiko's birthday party.

"Megu?" Rimiko blinked. "That's your name, right?" The other girl nodded.

"You can call me Kami," she replied cheerfully in her own voice. "Like I'll call you Rimiko."

"Where am I?" the brown-haired girl demanded. "Where's my dad?"

"Probably looking for you," an unfamiliar voice answered. "Since we led him on a wild goose chase so we could have a chance to meet you, Miss Heiwajima." A man Rimiko didn't recognize at first stepped into view behind Kami, and the black-haired girl quickly stepped away from him.

"Who are you?" Rimiko demanded, scooting backwards on the bed she had been sleeping on.

"I am a member of the Megu family," he replied. "Though you seemed to be under the impression that I was your father before I had to knock you out." Brown eyes widened as she remembered what had happened. A man who looked like her father had picked her up from school, and as soon as she started to realize that something was very, very wrong, he had hit the back of her neck. The little girl reached around to feel the place he had touched, and winced when her fingers brushed the bruise forming there.

"I hate you," she announced darkly. Kami moved forward.

"Rimiko, he just-"

"Be quiet," the man ordered. "Keep a lookout like your brother." Kami nodded silently, then slipped past him out the door, going down the hallway to sit near the entrance to the apartment they were in. Rimiko scowled at the man, her features twisting in hatred.

"I hate you," she repeated. "I hate you I hate you I hate you!" The man started forward, and Rimiko clenched her fists as she got to her feet. "I hate you!" she shouted at him. The man lifted a hand and brought it down, the back of his hand hitting her cheek and sending her staggering. She dropped to a sitting position to keep from tumbling off the bed and glared at him.

She was scared, but she could also feel fury welling up inside her.

"I. Hate. You." The words were slow, deliberate, meant to show him that he hadn't frightened her. He glared right back at her and lifted his hand again. "I wish you would die," the little girl spat, clenching her fists tighter as she felt her cheek sting slightly from the blow. A normal child would have been stunned, bruising, and potentially flown across the room from a hit like that, but Rimiko's cheek was barely red, and she hadn't gone flying at all. The man paused with his hand in the air, and the little girl in front of him surged upward, a little bundle of pure, untamed fury. She punched and kicked at him, her blows uncoordinated and without their full potential, but they proved surprisingly effective, especially since the man wasn't really expecting it, and he definitely wasn't expecting the force behind the blows that would be completely harmless from a normal child.

The man backed up several steps, thinking that he really should have anticipated this after how strongly she had launched herself at him when he had gone to her school disguised as Shizuo.

"Hey! You little brat, cut that out!" he snapped, trying to fend off her fists. The little girl saw red as her fury overwhelmed her.

"I hate you!" she shrieked, launching herself off the edge of the bed and hitting him with enough force to unbalance him. The man yelped and went down, hands over his face, only to let out a pained grunt as Rimiko started pounding his chest and stomach with her fists. The man tried to yell at her, tried to get a grip on her to pull him off of himself, but he could barely move, since several of her sloppy punches had connected with his diaphragm.

"Shit…you must've…gotten…that freaky…strength of your…father's," the man wheezed as he finally managed to seize her wrists, preventing her from hitting him anymore. Instead, she simply used his support to free her legs from holding her up and began kneeing and kicking him viciously. His words had made her even more furious.

"Daddy's strength isn't freaky!" she snarled as her small foot landed squarely on his groin, drawing a half-squeal from the man, who was still breathless from her assault on his torso. "I hope Daddy comes and crushes you with a huge rock!"

"Ooh, Rimi-chan is so strong!" Rimiko paused in her assault on the man. For a moment, the man stared at the girl and she stared back. Then they both looked toward the door. A man Rimiko had met several times stood there.

"He just barged in! And no one is answering when I call the office!" Kami wailed, standing behind the man in the door.

"I had a feeling this is where she would be," the man sighed. "BY the way, you'll be lucky to survive. Her father is about two minutes away from here."

"Kadota!" Rimiko exclaimed, kicking her kidnapper again to make him let go of her before she scrambled up and ran over to the newcomer, who scooped her up and hugged her.


	9. Reunion

**Disclaimer: if you don't know what this is going to say by now then what's the point? The point is, I STILL don't own Durarara! and Kami and Andris still belong to Shan-kun.**

Arlua tilted her head thoughtfully.

"So Kami and her brother are in…questionable circumstances," she murmured.

"It would appear so," Izaya agreed calmly. He was seated on the couch, watching his girlfriend as she paced. He narrowed his eyes, considering her reactions carefully. "You want to help them, don't you?" Arlua nodded, hesitating to say what she was thinking. She didn't want to bring up painful memories for either of them. "Just say it, Lu-chan."

"Izzy…she's about the same age as Aria would have been," she sighed. "And her hair…I always thought Aria would have had hair like that, like yours." Izaya closed his eyes, silent for a moment.

"If those two really are in a bad situation," he began quietly, "then maybe they'll need someone to take care of them, at least for a while. I might be able to pull some strings with the police, but they'd never trust me with one kid, let alone two." Arlua stopped pacing and turned to stare at him. "You would have to be the one to go."

"Izzy…you mean it?" she whispered. He opened his eyes and shrugged.

"I know we agreed it was too dangerous, but things have quieted down a bit, and you're not directly involved with most of the stuff your company does anymore. It should be safe enough," he pointed out, watching her carefully. She nodded.

"I think you're right. Besides…maybe it was the grief talking. Maybe we really can take proper care of a kid or two," she added hopefully.

"We can try, anyway, if you want to," he agreed. Arlua crossed the room swiftly and sat on his lap, ignoring the free space on the rest of the couch and Anna, who slipped into the kitchen area to give them time to themselves. "We still might not get them…"

"But we can try," Arlua said, repeating his words. The information broker smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Even if it's only for a little while."

"Then I'll deal with the cops, and you let Dota-chin know our modified plan."

"All right. And I think I'll ask him to take Karisawa and Yumasaki too," Arlua mused. "Maybe they can find the guy in charge and get the passwords."

"Remind me again why we shouldn't respond to all the calls from the Kamereon Court?" one of the police officers stationed around the apartment complex muttered.

"That's why," his partner answered, pointing. A menacing blond figure was storming down the street, headed for the complex. "You want to get between Shizuo Heiwajima and his daughter?" The first officer gulped and shook his head vigorously. "That's what I thought. We're just here to make sure he doesn't kill any of them, and anyone who gets away from him is brought in for questioning."

Tania followed her husband, weapon drawn and safety off, for once not even trying to calm him down. These people had kidnapped their daughter, and now they would make them pay.

The Heiwajimas paused at the gates to the apartment complex, where Kadota was waiting with Rimiko, one of the girls from the birthday party, and a boy Tania didn't recognize. When Rimiko saw her parents, she didn't run toward them like usual. Instead, she waited quietly in Kadota's arms as they approached.

"Are you okay?" Tania asked, but she didn't get an answer. Shizuo stalked up to Kadota and snatched Rimiko from him, holding her up so he could examine her. Father and daughter studied each other for a long moment. Then Rimiko spoke softly.

"One of them hit me and said you were freaky," she informed her father. "I hate him. You should break his house, Daddy." Shizuo's expression darkened.

"Oh, don't worry, Rimi-chan," he growled. "I will." Then he carefully handed her to Tania, who hugged their daughter tightly for a long moment. As he stalked past Kadota, into the apartment complex, Rimiko addressed her mother.

"Mommy, you have to make sure that Daddy doesn't get hurt," the little girl announced. Tania nodded solemnly and set the girl on her feet.

"Stay with Kadota," she ordered, checking her weapon quickly.

"Okay," Rimiko agreed cheerfully. Tania hugged her again quickly, then followed Shizuo into the complex.

Rimiko watched them go, then turned to Kadota and found him talking to a pair of police officers.

"These children weren't mentioned in the information we were given," one of them was saying.

"Actually, I think they were. The person who asked you to be here mentioned that the family who owned this place had two children who may or may not be cared for properly," Kadota replied calmly. "These are those kids. Considering their family, you might want to take them into protective custody or something." The officers exchanged uncertain looks.

"Father keeps taking Kami and sending her away with people to do missions. We're being trained as spies," the boy piped up. The officers exchanged another glance.

"Okay. Come with us, then," the first one sighed. His partner turned to Kadota.

"Will you come with? Someone will need to take responsibility for the children," he said.

"Oh, no, I think by the time you get to the station, everything will be sorted out." The officer blinked. "You see, the person who asked you to be here said something about making sure the kids are taken care of." Before the officer or his partner could respond, two people came skipping out of the apartment complex.

"Dota-chin! Dota-chin! We got the passwords!" Erika announced in a sing-song voice as she stopped next to Kadota.

"How many years have I told you to stop calling me that?" he grumbled. She ignored him.

"Lu-chan will be happy, right? Even though Shizu-chan and Ani-chan are destroying things?"

"Of course they will! Everyone will be happy with our heroic efforts to retrieve vital intelligence from the enemy's lair!" the woman's companion exclaimed. Kadota sighed.

"Well done," he congratulated them. "Send the passwords to Arlua, and let her know the cops are bringing the kids to the station to meet her."


	10. Home Again

**Okay, I know it's been forever since I updated this story, but I hope all the updates to Collision Domain have made up for it. **

**Thank you to Shan-kun for helping me with my brief writer's block!**

**Disclaimer: Sheesh, if you don't know that my OCs are mine and the two Megu kids aren't because they belong to Shan-kun that means you haven't been paying attention. And if you don't know that Durarara! isn't mine, then you REALLY haven't been paying attention.**

"Excuse me, Miss, the children have arrived." Arlua smiled up at the police officer and nodded her thanks, then stood from the chair she had been waiting in and turned toward the door, where another officer waited with Kadota and two young children.

"Thank you for getting them, Kyohei," Arlua said, smiling. Kadota shrugged.

"Don't mention it. Kids don't deserve to get caught up in Shizuo's fatherly love," he replied. Arlua had to laugh at that.

"Shi wouldn't hurt kids," she said confidently before turning to the children. The older of the two was the boy with red-gray eyes. The younger was the girl, Kami, whom Arlua had met at Rimiko's birthday party. "Hello again, Kami. And you must be Andris. Miss Kazu told me a lot about you." The girl smiled tentatively and came forward.

"You're not mad that I came to the party without being asked and copied everyone's voices?" she questioned.

"Of course not. I know you were just doing what you were told. Did you have fun at the party?" the technician asked. Kami nodded, smiling more earnestly. "I'm glad. Parties should be fun for everyone there," she said cheerfully. The little girl giggled as Arlua ruffled her hair. "Now, why don't you introduce me to your brother properly?"

"I can introduce myself," the boy said quietly. Arlua tilted her head. His tone wasn't sullen. Just informative.

"All right."

"My name is Andris Megu. Do you know Miss Kazu well?" he asked. Arlua nodded.

"I own the company she works for," she replied. "I'm the one who assigned her to that apartment complex." The boy's eyes widened, and the technician smiled sheepishly. "Oh, sorry. I didn't introduce myself, did I? I'm Arlua Teki, and I'll be taking care of you two from now on." The officer who had brought the children in started to protest, but the one who had told her they were there broke in.

"The paperwork's done. That informant arranged everything for her. She's their legal guardian now," he stated as calmly as he could, though Arlua could see his irritation. In the last several years, she had become well acquainted with the frustrated dislike that most of the police officers in the area held for Izaya Orihara – and, to a lesser extent, Supai Orihara. So the technician smiled pleasantly.

"That's a relief. I was afraid I was going to have to wait here in this luxurious police station while the paperwork was finished," she sighed. Then she turned to the children again. "Ready to go?" The children exchanged a glance.

"What about clothes and stuff?" asked the officer who had announced the paperwork was done.

"If you think anything's going to be left of that apartment complex by the time the Heiwajimas get done with it, you don't know the Heiwajimas," the other officer muttered.

"I'll provide for them. They're mine to look after now, remember? Don't you worry your uniformed self about them," Arlua replied. Then she glanced at Kadota. "I assume Shi and Ani didn't get too out of hand?"

"The place was still standing when I left, but who knows how things went since then?" he pointed out. Arlua nodded grimly.

"Let's just hope Tania lends some sanity to him. Where's Rimiko?" she asked.

"Supai showed up to take her about the time the officers decided to go ahead and bring those two here," Kadota replied. Arlua nodded approvingly.

"And your friends?"

"Took the van and said they would drive the two of them to Supai's apartment," he answered. She smiled.

"Thank you for your help. Would you walk with me back to the apartment?" she asked. Kadota nodded, and Arlua turned to the children. "Let's go, you two. Ready to see your new home?" The children nodded.

When Arlua walked into the apartment, Andris beside her, Kami clinging to her leg – the little girl had decided she liked Arlua very much, and wasn't going to be separated from her anytime soon – and Kadota behind her, Izaya was seated on the couch, frowning at his laptop, while Anna was typing away on Arlua's computer at the desk on the other side of the room.

"Izzy, come meet Andris and say hi to Kami," Arlua ordered. Izaya looked up and chuckled.

"They seem attached to you already," he commented as he set his laptop on the coffee table and stood. "I trust the police didn't give you any trouble?"

"Nah. They were nervous about the hooligan look Kadota has, but that's all," Arlua assured him as she stepped into the room, careful not to dislodge Kami. Kadota shot her a flat look. "Hey, at least I didn't call you Dota-chin like Karisawa and Izzy," she pointed out. Her friend sighed and nodded as Izaya walked over and crouched in front of the children.

"Hello again, Kami-chan," he greeted the girl. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," she replied. "Miss Teki said we're going to live with you two now."

"Yep. She's your guardian," Izaya agreed. Kadota, who had been watching the informant interact with the little girl, blinked. Something about Izaya's expression…was almost…soft. Then the information broker lifted his gaze to meet Arlua's and they shared a sad look. Kadota nodded to himself, understanding. They were thinking about Aria.

"I'm Andris," the boy said quietly, stepping forward. Izaya smiled at the boy, breaking eye contact with Arlua. "Kami's older brother."

"I'm Izaya Orihara. It's nice to meet you, Andris," Izaya greeted him. "Miss Kazu has told me about you." At the sound of her name, Anna looked up from Arlua's computer.

"Masaku-kun!" she exclaimed. Andris grinned at her.

"Hello, Miss Kazu," he replied.

"I'm glad to see you're okay," Anna told him. He shrugged.

"This guy made sure we got out of the compound before the blond guy destroyed everything." Anna blinked and looked at Kadota, raising an eyebrow at his presence in the apartment.

"That was my job, remember? Get the kids out," he reminded her. She nodded thoughtfully, noting that the children seemed completely relaxed around him, despite never having met him before that day. "Anyway, Rimiko is with Supai, so I tagged along with these two until Arlua got them, and then she asked me to come back here."

"I hate to interrupt all the introductions and explanations," Arlua began, "But have you used the passwords that Karisawa and Yumasaki got?" The younger technician nodded.

"You're not going to like what I found," she said quietly. "The files that I sent to the server are about the surveillance the Megus have been paid to keep on the Heiwajimas and everyone close to them. And there was a handful of files that didn't seem to have anything to do with the Heiwajimas until I opened them." Everyone, even the two children, was watching Anna now. "They have files on you, Miss Teki, and Mister Orihara, and a few people I don't know who the Megus have also been keeping tabs on." Arlua frowned thoughtfully and glanced at Izaya.

"Tania's coworkers maybe?" she guessed. He shrugged.

"What are the names?" he asked. Anna double-checked the computer screen before answering.

"The other two people the Megus have been watching are Natsuki Homeron and Akuro Nakao."


	11. Discussion

**Sorry for the cliffhanger last chapter (not really).**

**Disclaimer:**

"The Megus have been watching Natsuki and Nakao?" Arlua repeated, eyes wide and mind racing.

"Who are they?" Kami asked.

"People we used to know," Izaya answered. "Unfortunately."

"Natsuki Homeron and Akuro Nakao are foster-siblings. They're both crazy and neither of them like us," Arlua clarified, giving them the simplest version of the situation. Kami blinked, and Andris frowned thoughtfully.

"On the contrary, Nakao likes you too much," Izaya muttered. Arlua shot him a warning glance.

"They're only watching them, and there's a note saying that you guys had past encounters with them," Anna announced. "Homeron is still in the psych hospital she's been in for the last eight years, and Nakao was last spotted halfway across the country a week ago. It doesn't look like they have any interest in you."

"Looks can be deceiving," Arlua muttered. Anna nodded her agreement, watching Kadota, who had turned out to be kind, helpful, and loyal despite his dubious choice of style. The brown-haired man noticed her scrutiny and raised an eyebrow.

"The point is, the Megus know that we've had dealings with the Nakaos, and they've been watching us," Izaya murmured.

"So we have to step carefully until we know why they're interested in us in the first place, and what they have against Shi and his family."

"Well, that last one's easy enough, Lu-chan. Everyone hates the monsters," the information broker pointed out. Arlua glared at him.

"You don't like it when people call the Heiwajimas monsters?" Andris asked, picking up on Arlua's irritation. She shook her head.

"Shizuo and Tania Heiwajima are two of my closest friends. Despite Izzy's opinion, they're not monsters," she told him. "I'll have to formally introduce you to them soon."

"The blond man is scary," Kami piped up nervously. "He was really mad when he broke in to get Rimiko."

"That's because he has a bit of a temper," Arlua replied.

"A bit?" Anna murmured. "That man has enough temper for a whole city when it comes to people who hurt his wife and child – though he has gotten better at controlling it," she added thoughtfully. Kadota nodded, agreeing silently, then tilted his head.

"Where will Kami and Andris sleep?" he asked. Arlua smiled slightly.

"This apartment has two spare bedrooms," she informed him. No need to mention the other apartments, some of which were just as large. Not that she didn't trust Kadota or Anna, but…well, some things just needed to stay a secret. Her phone buzzed cheerfully at that moment, and she found a text from Tania.

'Met up with Yumasaki and Karisawa. Headed to your place if that's ok. Got more info.' Arlua wondered briefly if they had found the same information, or different. Then she decided it didn't matter.

'It's fine. Just make sure Shi's completely calm. And bring Rimi-chan and Supai, too.'

'Will do.'

Tania sighed as they changed course to stop at Supai's apartment. She wondered what Arlua would make of the information they had gotten out of the man who had admitted to hitting Rimiko once he ran out of other useful things to tell them –who wouldn't be admitting anything ever again, if the angle of his neck after Shizuo's backhanded blow was anything to go by – and decided that the next time she couldn't convince someone to tell her something, she was calling Yumasaki and Karisawa. They had found the man and dragged him out of the collapsing building (such shoddy construction that it hadn't held up to more than four Shizuo-kicks to the supporting walls) and questioned him as the Heiwajimas went about knocking out anyone who tried to escape. Shizuo had wanted to kill them all, but Tania had insisted they round them up and let the courts have a crack at them first. She thought maybe she could call in a favor from Supai or even Izaya and get extra charges added to whatever the police came up with. The man who had hit their daughter, however, was the exception.

Her husband was still steaming with rage, and Tania worried that it would take days to calm him down.

_Maybe I should have him take Rimiko home instead of going to the flea's apartment…_ she thought. Arlua would leave a dozen viruses in Tania's phone and computer and maybe even the school's computers if Shizuo hurt the informant. She wanted to take out her rage on the informant too, but knew that if she started down that path she might end up causing something like what had happened to Malcolm all those years ago.

Suddenly she had to stop walking. Malcolm. Oh, she missed him right then. She knew he would have been right beside her, completely ignoring her when she convinced Shizuo not to kill the Megus, calmly calling out targets for Supai, who would have been nearby, out of sight, shooting all of their opponents dead.

But no. Supai was married, and they were going to his and Rio's apartment now to fetch Rimiko and then meet up with Arlua and the others. Malcolm was dead. He would never meet his best friend's wife, never call targets again, never meet his niece.

"Ani," Shizuo murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned against him, closing her eyes for a moment. She took a deep breath.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"Awwww! Shizu-chan is such a caring husband!" Karisawa squealed.

_On second thought, maybe I won't call her next time I need to find out something from someone who doesn't want to tell me,_ Tania thought grimly.

"Let's just go get Rimi-chan," she muttered, ignoring Karisawa's continued exclamations. "Then we can see if Arlua and that flea know why someone would pay the Megus to kidnap our daughter, and who that someone might be."


	12. Messages

**Sorry about the long wait! But if you thought last chapter's cliffhanger was bad…**

**Anyway, I finally figured out how to put all this stuff into words, so now it can actually happen! Yay!**

**Read and weep – I mean, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: unfortunately, two old OCs are coming back, and I own them inaddition to my other OCs, but (even more unfortunately) I don't own DRRR! **

The woman chewed on her thumbnail worriedly. She would have to act soon. What she knew was too important, to close, to put it off much longer. But she couldn't afford to send a message the way she had last time. As crazy as she was, even she knew that using the people necessary would be counterproductive. Killing someone to tell _this_ meddler to stay away would only hurt the people she wanted to deal with when she had the chance – and one of them she definitely wanted alive.

_I have no way to contact him…and the people I should warn about his plan will ignore my number…_

_Who can I contact? Who can I use? How can I use them without destroying my chance to make and execute plans of my own?_

Her medication was a wonderful thing. It let her think clearly, let her hold her fury at bay.

It let her realize who she could use.

Because medication led her thoughts to that crazy underground doctor she had heard about. And that led her to think about what other connections her targets would have, where she was stuck for a while until the employee came in with that wondrous medication.

Employees.

Perfect.

"Kazu?" Kadota blinked in surprise when he saw the name come up on his phone. Why did his phone recognize her number? And why was she calling him?

_Maybe something happened to Arlua's phone, and she's borrowing Kazu's,_ he thought as he answered.

"Yo. What's up?" he asked.

"Kadota? It's Anna Kazu. I need your advice."

Kanra has entered the chat room

Kanra: oooh!~ Is that a newcomer?~ Naka-chan, is it?~

Setton: yeah. Naka just showed up a few minutes ago.

Bakuraya: Go die, Kanra. Don't corrupt Naka with your stupidity.

Kanra: So mean!~ I'm not stupid! I'm brilliant!~

Bakuraya: you deserve people being mean to you, since you won't die.

Naka: ^^' Um…hello?

Naka has started a private conversation with Kanra

Kanra: you're a quick learner, Naka-chan!

Naka: Of course. I came to this chat room to find you…Izaya Orihara.

Kanra: well aren't you well-informed?~ What can I do for you, since you put so much effort into finding me?~

Naka: I want you to work for me. Only me. I want you to be my loyal little pet informant.

Kanra: how interesting!~ Did you know several yakuza groups want the same thing?~ Anyway, I must turn you down, I'm afraid. You see, since I love all humans, it would be unfair for me to serve just one.~

Naka: But you have so many attachments weighing you down now…surely you wouldn't mind one more chain?

Kanra: I'm not sure what you mean. I'm as weightless as the wind!~

Naka: Arlua Teki and her new 'adopted' children. I wonder…could they really be your children? Have you kept them in hiding this long, only to grow complacent and all them to appear, in the guise of an adoption?

Kanra: I don't believe Lu-chan and the children are any of your concern, Naka-chan.

Naka: but your loyalty is definitely my concern, since you'll be serving me soon enough. I want to possess some things in this area, and you will help me get them.

Kanra: I'll hear you out, since you're one of my lovely humans. But I will never be your servant.

Naka: these are the things I want: the loyalty of an Orihara informant, the life of a beast that has been terrorizing my city, and Arlua Teki.

The woman smiled. She had accomplished the first part of her plan. She had gotten her message through. Even if she was crazy, and he plan failed…no. Maybe it was crazy enough to work.

She knew that logic didn't make sense. But then, most things didn't make sense.

Except the medication.

That always made sense. Take it, and things got better.

The woman laughed.

The world was so simple; the medication was hers, and s she took it. _He_ was hers, and she would have him eventually. Things that were hers, she got. Things that weren't, well, if they were useful – like the people who brought her medication – she left them alone. And if they weren't useful, well, then, she could get rid of them without damaging her own plans, right?

Anna knew she probably looked like a mess, but she didn't care. She had been up all night debating what to do. Should she take this to her boss? Or maybe to the Heiwajimas, since they seemed to have her boss's confidence?

Or maybe she should go to her boss's boyfriend, that informant. Maybe he would know what she should do.

But no. She didn't care to deal with him, especially when she didn't know what else she was dealing with.

The calm, kind, loyal, handsome man who had been there before came to mind.

_Kyohei Kadota._

He was easy enough to find, and his cell number was listed in Arlua's database.

Anna paused to wonder why Arlua would keep her friend's number in a database accessible to all of her employees, then realized it was probably in case she had to contact him and didn't have her own phone. She could just borrow a phone or computer and access the database, then call him.

He had agreed to meet her easily enough, and Anna knew as she hurried through the crowd toward him that the effects of her sleepless night and frantic thoughts probably showed on her face.

"You okay?" he asked.

_Oh, yeah, I'm just peachy. I have an alarming message and I don't know what to do with it. I don't even know what it means. _

_Maybe it doesn't mean anything, maybe I'm wasting both our time…_

_That's the lack of sleep talking. _

"Kadota…can I show you something?" When he nodded silently, expression worried, she held out her phone to him, screen showing the message she had received the night before.

'He's mine. He can't have him. Can't take him. He wants his family. He can have the family. But not him. I won't let him. I can help, but they won't trust me. Not after last time. Help me help them. I'll get him, and leave the others alone. Promise.'

"This…"

"I think it has something to do with the Megus. Remember, we couldn't figure out the connection…but I think this is from someone who knows. I mean…look at the number. My phone didn't recognize it, so I did a search. This is the person the number belongs to," she said, the words coming out in a rush. Kadota froze when he saw the name.

"No way…"

Shizuo paused on his way home. An unrecognized number was calling his phone. He frowned and accepted the call.

"Hello?"

"Shizuo Heiwajima. Do you know where your family is right now? Your wife and daughter, specifically." Shizuo froze.

"They're-"

"Home? No, they're not. They came to visit me. They're not happy about it, so maybe you should come pick them up. I'll text you instructions on how to do so. Should you fail to follow these instructions, you won't like the condition you get them back in," the voice on the other end purred. "And don't crush your phone in your fury, Heiwajima, or you won't be able to read your instructions."

"Who are you? What do you want?" he ground out, full of terror and rage and confusion and _fury _and _killkillkillkillkillkillkillkill_.

"My name is Akuro Nakao. I want you to die."


	13. Instructions

Anna shot a sideways glance at Kadota, wondering what had made him suddenly change his plan. He had been all for simply forwarding the message to Arlua, but just as Anna was about to do it, he had grabbed her hand, keeping her from hutting the send button,

"On second thought," he murmured, "We should investigate a little, then deliver the message in person." Anna had frowned but nodded, content to let him make the decisions for now.

"Could you at least tell me who this person is that sent this? I mean, I've heard the name before, but…"

"Natsuki Homeron tried to destroy Izaya, Arlua, and Tania. She wants Shizuo for herself. She went insane when the police arrested her and has been in a psyche ward ever since," the man explained.

"So are we going to ask her what this means?" she inquired.

"No. We're going to have a chat with the cops who're holding the Megus. I know one or two, and Izaya has tons of them under his control, so we should be able tl get what we need by asking the right cops and mentioning the right names."

"We?"

"Yeah. Arlua's like my little sister, and as much as some people fear Shizuo, he's my friend. Plus the kids'll all be involved in this, and I don't want that. So I'll see what I can do to help out." Anna smiled to herself.

"I knew I was right to call you," she murmured. He blinked.

"On the way to the station, why don't you tell me why you did call me," he suggested.

Izaya stared at his computer screen, glad that Arlua was in the other room, settling Kami and Andris for the night. His mind was racing. Who could this 'Naka' be? Why did he want Izaya to obey him? Why did he want Shizuo dead – though Izaya could sympathize with that one – and most importantly, why did he want Arlua?

_Why is one of my humans trying to take the things that are important to me: my independence, the monster I want to kill myself once that brat of his is grown, and my Lu-chan?_

The screen blinked. Another message from Naka.

'Well? What do you say…Kura-kun? Or does she call you 'germ,' since she still hasn't gotten rid of you? Or maybe it's 'Izzy' again after all this time?'

He froze. Someone who knew about the emails…and her nicknames for him.

Supai came to mind, but he had Rio, and he wouldn't go against Shizuo.

If it were Shizuo's loyalty and Izaya's death the person wanted, he would suspect Natsuki Homeron.

That thought made him stop.

_No…he wouldn't dare…_

Arlua's cell rang. Before she could leave the kids to answer, Izaya snatched the device from the coffee table and answered it.

"Yes?"

"Orihara? This is Anna Kazu. I have something you need to see."

"Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"No. Sorry, but I'm heading to your apartment with Kadota right now," the technician told him.

"Why are you with Dota-chin?"

"Not important. See you in twenty minutes." The line went dead, and the informant frowned.

"Izzy? Who was that?" Arlua asked softly from the doorway.

"Kazu. She's on her way here with Dota-chin."

"Heiwajima. You haven't completed your task yet," Akuro Nakao murmured to himself. He knew that the bodyguard hadn't followed his directions, because he would have been alerted upon the completion of the final instruction.

After all, the psyche ward's policy was to alert the next of kin upon the death of a patient, and Akuro was the next of kin for one of their patients.

Shizuo stared at his phone in horror. He wondered he could drop it and let someone run it over or something and then convince Nakao it wasn't his fault.

_I don't want to do this,_ he thought, unable to tear his gaze away from the screen, with its list of instructions.

Do not try to contact your wife or return to your home

Do not contact the Oriharas or any of your allies

Ensure the death of all surviving Megus over age ten

Crush the patient in a specific room of the psych ward I will send you a directions to, blaming her for the disappearance of your wife and daughter.

_I refuse to kill for this bastard,_ he snarled silently. _Especially kids. I won't kill kids. But I have to save Rimiko and Tania…_


	14. Regrouping

**I know, I know, shame on me for not updating sooner. I don't even have the excuse of working on my crossover (SAO/DRRR; it's Ikebukuro Online by All My Characters Are Dead if you're interested) since I haven't updated that either. But I've been really busy with life, so I haven't had much time to type out the scenes I want for the next few chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I own only my OCs and their varying levels of sanity, but not DRRR!, or the various characters with their various amounts of insanity that are associated with that.**

Anna and Kadota were silent as they left the police station next to the city jail, where the Megus were being held. They had talked to the police officers who had arrested the survivors of the building collapse – Anna wondered briefly if the Heiwajimas knew that a few people had been killed during their rampage – but they hadn't gotten anything out of their prisoners except one name, the name of the man who had hired them.

At first, Anna thought it was odd that a group as tight-lipped as the Megus had revealed their employer. But then one of the officers had told her that the Megus were aware of a security breach that had occurred before the kidnapping of Rimiko Heiwajima. The officers' theory was that the Megus were being forthright because they assumed that all of their data relating to the incident had already been discovered, so there was nothing to gain by withholding information.

Still…

_Kadota's reaction to these names…I know he said Natsuki Homeron had tried to destroy some of his friends, but he won't say if this new name means anything or not. Which probably means it's very, very important. But he also refuses to call or text Arlua or Izaya to let them know…_ Anna shot a thoughtful glance at Kadota. _Maybe he doesn't trust me, doesn't want me to overhear the conversation…_

With a sigh, Anna decided not to try to figure out the workings of the man beside her. Not yet, anyway. She had more immediate things to – a flash of blond hair caught her eye, and she turned to see Shizuo Heiwajima standing outside the jail building.

"Heiwajima…?" she muttered, breaking the silence for the first time since they had left the police station. Kadota's head came up at the sound of her voice and he looked around. When he saw the bodyguard, he frowned.

"Shizuo? What're you doing here?" he called. When Shizuo looked up and blinked at them, seemingly astonished by their presence, Kadota made his way over to his friend, with Anna trailing behind curiously.

"Hey, Kyohei," Shizuo said quietly. "I just came to pay a visit to some people." He glanced nervously at the jail as he said this, then around at the nearby buildings as though expecting to see someone else familiar. Anna frowned to herself. Who would Heiwajima be visiting? He didn't know anyone who was in jail, did he?

"I don't think that's a good idea," Kadota said just as quietly. "They're cooperating with the police, Shizuo. Don't complicate things by confronting them again."

_He's here to see the Megus!_ Anna realized. Shizuo hesitated and glanced around again. _He's acting like he thinks he's being followed,_ she thought. Before the bodyguard could reply, his phone went off. The technician saw his expression harden at whatever he read on his screen, and she pulled out her own phone.

Something wasn't right, and she had a feeling the message he had just received was part of whatever was going on with the blond man. So for the sake of finding out information without having to advertise her interest – if Shizuo was being followed, then she probably shouldn't show interest in whatever was going on – Anna accessed a program on her phone, one that hacked into any other cell phone that she knew the phone number of and showed her whatever was on it.

When she accessed Shizuo's phone, she scrolled through his messages. The most recent made her want to scowl.

'Quit talking to them. Get on with your job, Heiwajima.'

She was right. Someone _was_ following Shizuo. Then she scrolled up to see the previous messages, and realized that whatever this was, it was part of whatever Natsuki Homeron had warned her about.

_Time to call Arlua,_ the technician decided, dialing her boss's number without consulting Kadota.

Izaya answered, and Anna figured he was as good as talking to Arlua directly. By the time she hung up, Kadota was eying her with an almost wary expression, and Shizuo looked confused. Anna smiled as though nothing was wrong.

"It was nice to see you, Heiwajima," she said cheerfully. "But Kadota and I have to go see Teki now." She kept her smile fixed in place but allowed her eyes and tone to show how serious she was. "Do what you have to do. The police will cooperate, and they may have some suggestions for you." The bodyguard blinked, not seeming to understand. So Anna thought for a moment. Then she said, "I know this must be hard for you," and hugged him. Because of their height difference – he was over a foot taller than her – she had to pull him down a bit to hiss at him, "Hug me back or it'll look suspicious, idiot." When he obeyed, she added, "Don't actually kill the prisoners. Just let the cops know what's going on, and tell them to act as though the prisoners are dead until they receive further instructions from Orihara." She waited until he gave her a minute nod, then released him and stepped back. "Hang in there, okay?"

"Yeah," the blond replied, his expression doubtful and slightly confused, but also a little relieved. "But what if-"

"There aren't any more of them out there," Anna cut him off. "I'm sure they won't make another try for Rimiko; your family will be just fine." He seemed to understand, so she turned to Kadota. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. We'll have to hurry to get to Izaya's in twenty minutes," he added, shooting her a glance that told her he knew – or at least had a pretty good idea – what she had told Shizuo, and he approved.

Shizuo waved goodbye as they started off down the street, then stepped into the jail, hoping the officers would listen to him.


	15. Delusions and Realizations

**I've had drafts of these scenes for almost a week. I'm excited to finally get to use them! I hope no one cried too much over End chapter 3.**

**Disclaimer: Only the crazy people I came up with (My OCs) belong to me. The crazy people I didn't come up with (the DRRR! Characters) don't. The reasons for this should be obvious.**

As she and Kadota entered Izaya and Arlua's apartment, Anna took a deep breath.

"So, what's so important that you two are interrupting your quality time together to come here again?" Izaya asked from his place on the couch. He was stretched out, his head in Arlua's lap, and appeared to be completely relaxed. Arlua was finger-combing his hair, though, so either Izaya wasn't as relaxed as he looked, or it was Arlua who needed relaxing.

"First, I need Arlua's computer to do a phone number search," Anna replied, ignoring his question and keeping her voice brisk. "Kadota, will you tell them what's going on while I do that?" When her companion and boss both nodded, the technician made her way to the computer.

Just as Kadota was finishing his explaination, Anna hissed, drawing the attention of the other three people in the room.

"All right. So what do you know that Dota-chin doesn't?" Izaya asked.

"Someone is threatening Heiwajima by telling him that they've captured his family. They're supposedly holding Tania and Rimiko Heiwajima hostage to force him to eliminate some people," Anna answered. "Heiwajima's at the jail right now, supposedly killing off the surviving Megus. I advised him to get help from the cops in staging the deaths, so he doesn't have to kill while buying time for his wife and daughter. If he played it right, the cops will be waiting for orders from you on how to proceed from there."

"How did you even find out…oh. Of course," Arlua smiled slightly. "You hacked Shi's phone, didn't you? Is that the number you're tracing?" she added.

"Yeah. It would've been a lot quicker, but the program took forever to find the actual owner – I borrowed one of the programs you wrote for Orihara, the one that traces aliases back to the real people," Anna added apologetically. "Since it was on the desktop."

"What did you find?" the informant inquired as Arlua shrugged to show she didn't mind the use of the program.

"The person threatening Shizuo Heiwajima is the same person who originally hired the Megu clan to kidnap his daughter: Akuro Nakao," Anna answered. There was a moment of utter silence. Then Izaya spoke.

"All right. I'll contact those police officers and tell them what to do as soon as I figure out what to tell them to do."

"Figure fast. Once Heiwajima's finished at the jail, he'll probably go for his final target," Anna said quietly.

"Final target?" Kadota growled.

"Natsuki Homeron," Anna answered.

She surveyed him, smiling to herself in satisfaction. He was so powerful, so beautiful…yet so afraid of himself. They said that he was the strongest person in Ikebukuro. That was true, if physical strength was the only thing being measured. But she knew there was one person more influential, more powerful, than him: whoever could direct and control him.

Now that she had his heart, now that she owned him completely, body, mind, and soul, she was the most powerful individual in the city. She could use him however she saw fit, and she loved that almost as much as she loved him.

She loved the way he looked, kneeling before her, leaning into her touch as she ran her fingers through the soft golden hair. His eyelids fluttered shut in contentment as she teased as the bright strands, and a pleased rumble escaped his throat.

_He may be a beast, like they say he is, but he is _my _beast,_ she thought with a rush of pride. _I alone tamed him, and he is mine alone, and with him, I will be able to do anything._

She wondered if he knew that her love for him was no longer romantic. She wondered if he knew that she took pleasure in his loyalty and in having her way with him. She wondered if he knew that she had come to see him as a possession, not a partner.

Whether he knew or not, though, was irrelevant. He loved her desperately because she was the only one who desired him. She was the only one who could guide his strength, use him, and reward him the way he needed to be rewarded.

He needed to be ruled, and so she ruled him. She owned him. It was a beautiful, intoxicating feeling.

Too bad it was only her dream, and vanished when she woke. Still, that dream always filled Natsuki Homeron with determination. Someday she would possess Shizuo Heiwajima.

Someday…

Someday she would have him for herself. He was the one person she wanted above all else, the one _thing_ she wanted above all else. He was…

He was standing in the doorway.

Natsuki blinked. Was he actually there, or was she dreaming again? Had she slipped from one dream straight into another? She didn't know any more.

Where was her medication? If she took that, she would know for sure she was awake.

_Well, if I'm still dreaming, he'll come up and kneel in front of me,_ she reasoned. The blond man started forward, and excitement and disappointment warred within her. She was excited because he moved the way he did in her dreams, and maybe she would have another wonderful dream of him, but disappointed because she wanted this to be real. Wanted him to be there for real.

"Natsuki Homeron…" His voice…his words…she wanted to melt. He never spoke in her dreams, but he was speaking now, so that meant he was really there, she was awake, he had come for her at long last. Instead of kneeling before her, he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest, forming a barrier between them. "We have some things to talk about."


End file.
